Ask Tammy

Hi Joyce—

I spoke about employee engagement—and the importance of understanding the values your employees care deeply about.  The session was based on work that is also described in an HBR article called “What It Means to Work Here”—you can find it at Harvard Business Review’s website.

All the best,

Tammy

Filed under: Talent Management Approaches | Published: 01/15/11

Hi Vince,

I do think that X’ers in many Latin American countries share some characteristics with U.S. Boomers—particularly the anti-authoritarian views which, as you pointed out, stemmed from the corruption evident in many governments during their formative years.  I don’t find that they have respect for government.  I do find that they tend to have deep family values.

Here’s a summary I recently wrote on Gen X in Brazil:
The economy continued to struggle in the late 1970’s and 1980’s, resulting in strikes for higher wages.  Opposition to authority became more vocal and widespread.  Civilians protested to end the military government rule and demand a direct vote.  In 1989, the first democratically elected president in 29 years brought free trade and privatization, although the transition was fiscally arduous.  This difficult path left members of Generation X risk-adverse, with a strong sense of self-reliance and a strong commitment to their families.

I hope this helps.  Best wishes for continued success in your collaboration with peers throughout Latin America.

Warmly,

Tammy

Filed under: Comparisons Among the Generations | Published: 01/15/11

Hi Sobin—

You can find lots of information on value chains on the web.  Here are three sources:

The value chain, also known as value chain analysis, is a concept from business management that was first described and popularized by Michael Porter in his 1985 best-seller, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_chain

The sequence of activities that a firm undertakes to create value, including the various steps of the supply chain but also additional activities, such as marketing, sales, and service. Term due to Porter (1990) and used by Krugman in slicing up the value chain.
www-personal.umich.edu/~alandear/glossary/v.html

The sequential set of primary and support activities that an enterprise performs to turn inputs into value-added outputs for its external customers. ...
http://www.ichnet.org/glossary.htm

Hope this helps,

Tammy

Filed under: Talent Management Approaches | Published: 01/15/11

Hi Gregory—

That’s a really interesting question.  I’ve found that the key is to match programming of the social organizations to the key values of the generation. 

Here’s an example.  I was on the Board of an arts organization a number of years ago.  Initially, our target donors were Traditionalists—a group that deeply values joining organizations, membership, and belonging.  The fund-raising emphasized that donations of different amounts would allow you to become a “member” of different “clubs”—the Silver Club, Gold Club, etc.  Each Club came with increasing levels of prestigious amenities.  As our target donor based shifted, and we began to focus more on Boomers, it became necessary to change the approach.  Boomers place little value on joining institutions, but they are idealistic.  We developed an approach in which different levels of donations were expressed in terms of the benefits each one would provide to others (donations of a certain amount would help x number of children experience this art form, etc.).  It was a very effective campaign, because it touched a core value for this generation.  I’m no longer on the Board of this organization, but I’d suggest that campaigns directed to X’ers might emphasize choice, control, and options (in other words, provide a menu of ways in which the donation could be used and allow the donor some control over the choice).

I haven’t seen other work in this area, but I hope this gives you some useful ideas.

Warmly,

Tammy

Filed under: Comparisons Among the Generations | Published: 01/15/11

Hi Yoni—

Thanks very much for your note—it’s always wonderful to hear that you’re finding my work helpful.

Yes, I absolutely feel that it’s important to promote the employability of Boomers.  I actually think much of this will happen naturally, as employers find that there simply aren’t enough young employees to fill their growth needs.  If they want people with relevant skills, they will need, eventually, to turn to the Boomers.

Best wishes for success in your work,

Tammy

Filed under: Boomers | Published: 01/15/11